# CVE-2022-38165: Path traversal in n/a

> Unauthenticated attackers can write arbitrary files to any location on the F-Secure Policy Manager Server, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Nov 2022
- **Updated:** 30 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7gc4-cwgf-384p

## What is CVE-2022-38165?

CVE-2022-38165 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Nov 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Arbitrary file write in F-Secure Policy Manager through 2022-08-10 allows unauthenticated users to write the file with the contents in arbitrary locations on the F-Secure Policy Manager Server.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-38165?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Withsecure F-Secure Policy Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-38165?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-38165 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-38165 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38165 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-43762](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43762/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-43763](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43763/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2022-38162](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38162/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-38165 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-38165 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Nov 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38165 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38165/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38165/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38165
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38165
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-38165

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38165/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.